Balloon
by AdventureBound
Summary: Sweet story based around Jeff and his boys having a day trip out to New York a story that came to me whilst watching another film. Very much Jeff/Alan centric


**A/N: Age range: **

**Scott – 13**

**John – 11**

**Virgil – 9**

**Gordon – 7**

**Alan - 2**

**Kind of an -in the moment - fic-a-let short but kinda came to me whilst I was watching "Look Who's Talking" a while ago. Father/Son mushy stuff, based off the movie people not the TV show. **

**Enjoy :-)**

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><p>"Dad when we get to New York can Scott and I go shopping?" John asked hopefully looking to his older brother with a smart smirk knowing that they really just wanted to fool around.<p>

"Not today John we're spending time together as a family I don't want you boys wandering off on your own…No matter how much I don't trust you." He added the last bit quietly.

"But dad…" John groaned and Jeff shook his head once more. "Don't argue with me John we're staying together, we're doing things together…Right after I nip into work."

"Oh man!" Scott chimed in knowing they'd be there all day.

"Get off me Gordon!" Virgil nudged as Gordon tried to take the young boys cap off of his head.

"But it's _MY_ cap!" Gordon shouted out and Jeff rolled his eyes wondering if this was going to be the setting for the day.

"BOYS!" He shouted back at them giving them the evil eye.

"Gordon leave Virgil alone I don't care if it's your cap or not we'll get you a new one whilst we're out."

"Why does he get a new cap and I don't?" Virgil asked and tossed Gordon the cap. "I want a new one!"

"Boys look if you two don't…"Jeff heard groaning in the seat at the back and new Alan had woken up, reaching down to the change bag he grabbed a beaker of juice out of it and stood up walking back in the jet towards where Alan was at the back strapped in with his seat belt.

"Hey Sprout." Jeff smiled and ruffled his sons' hair as he got to him. "You thirsty?"

"Dad! Juice!" He smiled reaching out towards the beaker.

"That's my boy…You slept for ages I didn't think you were gonna wake up!"

Alan just stared up at him as he drank but then spotted the buildings in the sky line of New York below them and the beaker was soon on the floor as he scrambled to get a better view out the window. "Daddy! Daddy!" He pointed and Jeff laughed.

"I know sprout New York City where daddy works!"

"Hey dad look you can see the Statue of Liberty!" Virgil said from his seat on the opposite side of the plane.

"Wow look at all the skyscrapers!" Scott said and pointed them out to John.

"Dad?" Scott asked still looking out of the plane window.

"Scott?" Jeff smirked leaving Alan's side for a moment as he headed towards the front to speak with Kyrano and Onaha.

"Is Lady Penelope going to be there?" He had a secret crush on her and Jeff knew it, pausing he turned back and went over to him.

"No." Jeff couldn't help but get his hopes up and wind the young man up – Scott always acted like he didn't care about Lady P but whenever she stopped by the island he'd act like a nervous love struck teenager.

Walking back to the front Jeff entered the cockpit and looked to the two people who'd not been in his life long but meant more to him than he would have ever figured. "What are you two planning on doing?"

"Kyrano has promised to show me the sights and take me for coffee in Manhattan." Onaha smiled towards Kyrano and he agreed.

"We will be sure to pick you up a muffin or two Mr. Tracy." He knew Jeff was partial to a Manhattan Muffin shop that was there.

"Good man!" Jeff tapped his shoulder laughing.

"What about you Mr. Tracy?" Kyrano asked and Onaha looked at him a little worried.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you and help with the boys?" Onaha repeated for probably the millionth time that day.

"No Onaha I promise I'm fine we need some time away and to ourselves otherwise we'll drive each other crazy and besides…I need to be with the boys now more than ever…I promised myself I wouldn't let them down."

"You don't know how much this means to them Jeff." Onaha touched his hand as a show of admiration for what he was doing to help the boys, even two years after Lucy's death they still were struggling to come together as a family.

Jeff really didn't know how much this meant to his boys he'd been so locked up with pain in his heart for these two years after Lucy died that he couldn't bear to look at any of them. Scott has her personality, John has her laugh, Virgil has her smile, Gordon has her eyes and Alan…Alan is just Lucy in and out.

He buried everything inside of him and tried to shut out the children he relied heavily on Onaha when she came into their lives not longer after employing her on the island to look after the children as a type of nanny, it was Penny that gave him the inspiration to go on that made him come out from hiding and to help his and Lucy's boys deal with the pain of loosing Lucy.

"We're about to land Jeff." Onaha touched his arm again and he smiled getting up, turning around and heading back into the luxurious jet to see Gordon and Virgil scrapping on the floor, Alan running around with a plane Scott had made him out of paper and John trying to get the other boys attention to the big airport coming up.

"BOYS!" Jeff commanded and they all paused bar Alan who ran around in circles a few more times before he ran into his fathers' leg. Jeff laughed out and snapped a photo before he reached down picking his son up and holding him on his hip.

"Sit down and seatbelts on now or we turn this thing right back around and head home!"

The boys all quickly got in their seats and fastened up Jeff took his youngest and placed him back in his seat at the back strapping him in and taking the seat next to him so he could watch him closely, Alan had a habit of wriggling out and running around and it drove Jeff crazy!

~~/`/`~~

The plane landed and after Jeff had gathered the boys and their backpacks, said goodbye to Onaha and Kyrano and picked up his private number plate already parked up, BMW people carrier he packed the boys into the back and hit the open road flipping the stereo on and winding down the windows.

The breeze from the highway hit his face as he drove watching as they came into the sights of New York crossing over the Brooklyn Bridge and heading into the main city as the early morning sun drifted over the skies.

"I just need to nip into work boys five minutes I promise and then I'm all yours."

"Dad!" Scott moaned and looked at him from the front seat.

"I promise okay?" Jeff said seriously putting his hand on the boys shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "I really need to just check in."

In the back a squealing could be heard as Virgil played with Alan in his car seat and Gordon played 'eye spy' with John. Jeff smiled feeling the warmth in his heart and how much he'd missed the boys.

"So what do you guys wanna do?" Jeff asked Scott was first in there.

"Monster truck racing!" Jeff nodded he could see the potential in that. "Sounds good, Virgil?"

"I wanna go on the fun fair!" Pointing out the fair was in town.

"Also very good, how about you John?"

"I wanna go to the space museum!" Jeff really didn't have to ask, John had been saying that for weeks now. "What about you Gordon?"

"I want to go swimming at Lake George!" Jeff knew that would include buying them all swim wear which meant an expensive shopping trip.

"Sounds like we've got a busy day ahead of us!" Jeff looked to the road ahead and slowed down a little as the traffic built up.

"Are we really going to do all of them things in one day dad?" John asked leaning between the seats and looking to his father.

"Well I hope so we've started early enough, sit back John." John sat back and got excited he was already enjoying this much delayed time spent with his father. Jeff felt a little guilty for Alan not being old enough to have a say in things suddenly there was a flash from the back seats and Jeff didn't have to know what it was or who.

"Gordon Tracy what did I tell you about playing with camera?"

"It wasn't me it was Virgil!"

"No it wasn't dad!" Virgil called out.

"Both of you put it…." Too late the flashes were going and the kids were pulling funny photos out from everywhere, taking pictures of themselves, Jeff and the sights. After a while he gave up trying to get it off them and just let them get on with it.

After an hour of sitting in traffic though Jeff felt like he was going to tear his hair out the boys were bored Alan - and everyone really - was hungry and fidgety and rather than sit in the car as the sun got hotter in the sky he decided to grab the boys, their backpacks, Alan's stuff and pushchair and park up on an estate down the road from his work that he'd managed to nip in to.

"Come on boys the fresh air will do you good!" He took a lungful and pushed Alan in the pushchair up the very long road where at the end laid Tracy Enterprising Corporation.

With five boys – four of them walking and wanting to stop at every chip in the road – it was taking forever for them to reach his work. He wanted to get in and out knowing he couldn't justify coming to New York and not nipping in no matter how many times Penny had told him not to.

As they walked John and Scott climbed the small wall and walked the ledge of it whilst Gordon and Virgil ran off ahead and skimmed rocks across the small lake.

"Daddy me!" Alan pointed to the water and sat up a little in his pushchair, Jeff shook his head terrified at the thought of him falling in.

"No baby not today when you're a bit older…Come on boys!" Jeff called as he went past them and they crossed over to go through a park. As they made their way through Jeff noticed the fun fair Virgil was on about earlier and tried to bee-line around it so he could get to work first and then play afterwards. Virgil chirped in though it was so hard NOT to see it all.

"Dad I thought you said…"

"I know Virgil we'll come back to it I promise let's just get work out of the way first then we don't have to worry about it right?"

The boys all nodded and Jeff inwardly chuffed at himself now the boys would be there before he was just to get back to the fair, as he turned the corner he saw Scott run back to him.

"Dad can we get some hotdogs and eat them outside whilst you go in to work?" He asked pleadingly looking up at his father. Jeff actually liked the idea, he couldn't and wouldn't stay long if he knew his boys were outside and they wouldn't want him in there if he was going to quirt mustard all over the place, perfect!

"Okay Scott." He wheeled Alan over to the stand and ordered a hot dog for his boys, getting one for Alan he broke it in half and took one bit himself giving the bigger bit to Alan.

"Daddy...Boon!" Alan pointed across the way was a man holding some balloons and Jeff ruffled his youngest hair. "You don't want a balloon baby."

"Boon daddy boon!" He pointed the half eaten hotdog almost falling out of his hand Jeff wrapped it up in a bit of tissue stuffing it on top of the pushchair for now, knowing he wasn't interested.

"Okay, okay what colour?"

"Boon!" Alan got excited as Jeff moved over and paid for a blue one.

"Boon!" Alan giggled and Jeff bent down to give it to him. "Hold it tight Alan otherwise it'll blow away."

"Boon!" He giggled and gripped it in his tiny fingers.

After a few more feet they finally reached Jeff's work place and Jeff parked up the pushchair at the bottom of the long steps and looked to all of his boys as he stopped half way up. "Okay boys wait here for me you promise, be good!"

They all nodded in unison and waited at the bottom of the steps patiently, as Jeff got to the top he took a look around making sure they were okay again before turning to the door man who greeted him.

"Mr. Tracy Sir they told me you wouldn't be back for a couple of weeks!" The older man said and shook his hand.

"Well you know me Dave just can't stay away from the place." Dave laughed and Jeff looked to him seriously. "Hey will you watch my boys down there for a moment just keep your eyes on them make sure they don't wander off, I'm just gonna check in upstairs I'll be two seconds I promise."

"No problem Mr. Tracy you go!" Dave laughed and headed out to the top of the steps as Jeff went in.

"I bet you can't throw further than me Gordo!" John said as he picked up the tennis ball they'd found underneath Alan's pushchair and chucked it up in the air, thankfully the main road was a few feet away so there wasn't much danger of one of them running out or anyone crashing their car when the tennis ball landed.

"I bet none of you can do this!" Virgil said as he jumped off the side of the step and landed a few foot out in front of the steps.

"Johnny how far can you jump?" Once one did it they all started…Alan wanted to join in and in turning around he accidentally let go of his balloon.

Now for Alan deciding what was more important was easy. First he needed his balloon and then he'd jump off the step. "Boon…" He reached his hand up to the sky and started to wriggle out of his pushchair.

~~/`/`~~

Jeff heard the familiar pang of the elevator as it arrived at the top floor of his work place and the hustle and bustle of the people he employed moved around. As he walked he aproached the receptionist before his personal office and she stood up shocked. "Mr. Tracy?" She asked he smirked and went straight into his office.

"Hampton!" Jeff said as he spotted the man just about to put a report on Jeff's desk turn suddenly.

"Jeff?" Hampton asked. "What are you doing here I thought…"

"I know but I wanted to be with the boys and I couldn't resist coming in and seeing what you had for me not that I'm checking up on you of course…"

"No, no, no…" Hampton laughed and picked the report he'd just put down back up.

"Actually I was just leaving you this…" He began to go into detail.

~~/`/`~~

"Morning Dave." A woman smiled at the older man as he opened the door for her and then went back to watching over Jeff's kids.

"Oh Dave did Laura get that present I sent?" The woman inquired and he turned back to her for split seconds as he replied

Although Alan - who'd slipped out of his pushchair and out of notice of his brothers who were playing - began to head for the main road after his balloon...

"You see Jeff the payout should be massive but most importantly you'll be maximising your input functionality." Jeff nodded and walked around his desk near the window as he studied the report only briefly looking out the window at his boys…Scott was jumping off a step, John and Gordon were playing on the steps, Virgil was egging Scott on and Alan was walking in the middle of the road…

"I see your point Hampton but I don't know why…" Wait a minute… Jeff spun around and looked out of the window Alan was crossing the busiest road in the whole of this area unattended and nobody was watching… Jeff threw the report down and sprinted out of his office going to the elevator he pushed but it wasn't coming quick enough, turning he took the stairs and practically only hit two steps out of every flight he went down, jumping as many as he could his heart pounded in his chest as he was desperate and uncontrollable, he threw himself through the doors at the bottom almost knocking someone out and sprinted out through the entrance past Dave who watched him suddenly fly down the stairs.

"Here's dad!" Gordon laughed but the serious look on his father's face as he ran past them got them all worried, Scott and John immediately set off after him and the other boys followed suit until Dave stopped them, by now almost anyone passing was watching as the 2 year old boy dangerously drifted in and out of traffic.

"ALAN!" Jeff shouted but Alan was too focused on the balloon to care about anything, just as he began to cross further a taxi came speeding towards him but thankfully the driver saw him at the last moment speeding around him and crashing into another car head on.

"ALAN!" Jeff cried desperately unable to see his son. Another man did though and ran after him but got stopped by a bus that pulled out in front of him and crashed into another car that came flying out of nowhere that almost hit Gordon as he ran to his dad's side but Jeff's fatherly instincts pulled him to him with seconds to spare as the car crashed into a lamp post and smoke filled the air.

"Whoa, yeah!" Scott exclaimed at the wreckages.

"Gordon!" Jeff bent down angrily and gripped his shoulders. "For god's sake Gordon you could have been killed!" He shook him a little but then brought him protectively into a hug and held him tightly before the realization that multi story pile up had occurred and still Alan was nowhere to be seen.

"ALAN!" Jeff shouted and looked around desperately going between cars and under them the boys were now following their father with Virgil pushing the pushchair as they tried to follow wherever Jeff was going. The traffic now deadlock Jeff knew the chances of spotting him like that were nil and he had to get higher, climbing up onto a bonnet at the protest of a driver he searched the streets to no avail.

"ALAN!" John shouted and pointed across the road to the pavement as he toddled down the street oblivious to all the people as they watched the car wreck unfold. Jeff spotted him and took off shouting for his boys to get off the road.

"Boon!" Alan giggled as he watched it flitter through the air and sway in the breeze, it sparkled a little as the sun light reflected off of it and made him even more attracted to it.

As Jeff weaved through the amount of people he could only just see his tiny son a way in the distance as he ran after him. The Boys followed on swiftly behind him running in a line with John behind pushing the pushchair.

"ALAN!" Jeff kept shouting with people looking around. "Someone stop him!" He pointed but nobody knew at what, not expecting to see a little boy around their ankles.

After another perilous but thankfully closed road crossing Alan followed the balloon into the park and reached out to it with both hands. His tiny fingers almost had the string as it got caught up around a lamp next to the main water feature. Alan perilously climbed the feature only JUST being tall enough and scrambled to his feet once he was up.

Jeff was still a way off but he could see his son as he peered over the people, turning he grabbed the first boy he had and hauled him up on to his shoulders. "What do you see…?" Jeff made sure it was one of his own sons before continuing. "Gordon?"

"Alan's at the water feature he's trying to reach his balloon…Its flying away around the water feature…Ooh a freak show…"

"Gordon!" Jeff still ran though slower still trying to hold his second youngest on his shoulders.

"He's…Oh my god dad run quick he's gonna slip!" Gordon was fretting as Jeff put him down and ploughed his way through the people before finally arriving at the fountain…Alan was nowhere to be seen.

Diving into the fountain he looked around not caring that he was now soaking and frantically looked for his son running numerous times around the circumference of the fountain feeling under water everywhere he could. "I don't see him!" Jeff shouted. The boys all dived in too trying to help their father find him all of the getting soaking.

"Dad there!" Scott called out and ran off.

Jeff stumbled out the water drenched to his bones and feeling the heat prickle against him not caring what a state he looked in.

"He followed Scott catching up with his boys as Gordon trailed behind with the pushchair. "Where I don't see him?"

"There! He's just gone inside the big rocket ride!" Scott sprinted towards the bloke who was resting his face in the palm of his hand and pressing buttons half asleep inside a booth. "Stop the ride! Stop the ride!"

The man thought Scott was being stupid and ignored him flat out but Jeff didn't, managing to just cut in line and dive into the big Rocket with all fours of his other sons as they closed the doors behind them and started up the ride, a virtual reality ride where the rocket moved to feel like it was actually going to take off into space when actually it never really did. It was a cheap easy ride that didn't do much – thankfully – that was until it started moving around like it'd hit turbulence on a REALLY bad day.

John had actually found himself a seat and strapped himself in. Up ahead just before the violent tremors Alan finally grasped hold of the balloon and brought it to him holding it tightly and hugging it a little. "Boon!" He grinned suddenly feeling two hands yank him backwards as the rocket started tipping, the boys managing to find seats and strap in – Jeff tightly holding onto Alan as he tumbled to the back of the rocket.

"5…4…3...2…1" A loud murmur and a few vibrations happened a lot of colourful pictures on the screen before finally it all ended and Jeff sank back against the door.

"Alan Tracy!" He turned his youngest to face him but his back gave way as the door opened and he fell out on to the step, inches from smacking his head – the boys jumping out and surrounding the pushchair laughing and joking knowing each of them hadn't visited THE places they wanted to today but Scott had got his pile up monster truck style, Virgil had got his fun fair, John had got the rocket ride and Gordon had got the fountain, each of them agreeing it was better than the real thing!

"Daddy funny!" Alan giggled as Jeff sat up gingerly looking to the man up above him.

"That's 6 dollars sir." He held out his palm.

Jeff paid him grudgingly.

~~/`/`~~

Onaha moved through the cockpit as the sun started to set in the skies as they approached Tracy Island wondering how on Earth it could be so quiet back in the jet, as she looked out she could see Jeff at the back with his eyes closed and boys all fast asleep against each other.

Smirking to herself she knew they'd enjoyed the day and worn themselves out, returning to the Cockpit she looked to Kyrano. "I think everything's going to be just fine now."

Kyrano smiled too.

In the back Jeff opened his eyes as the young blonde in his arms shifted a little and he reached down to move a stray hair from his sons eyes before placing a soft kiss on his youngest' forehead. "Thank you Lucy." He whispered to the setting sun and leant his head back taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly as he relaxed.

The little boy next to him still clutching tightly onto his blue balloon.


End file.
